I find it quite amazing how much about what's going on in America that I see here on the news. The election usually leads off the news. Exciting bits like tornados and U.S. presidential visits abroad usually show up later.

Usually what happens is, we're watching the news (8-8:15 every night, every station), and I'll see some piece on the presidential election, a scandal, a crime (or all three in one). I'll only understand 50% of what is going on, mostly because I can't decide whether to focus on the American speaker in the backgound or the German translation voiceover. Then I have to run downstairs to the computer and log in to find out the whole story.

But why the fascination with the U.S.? Regarding the primary, the husband comments that he doesn't remember seeing this much reportage during primary season in his youth. Is it that this year is simply so dramatic, or is it that Germany sees the nature of its relationship to the US riding on this election? Or something else... That certainly doesn't explain the American celebrities showing up in the news, or the other news reports. Perhaps the U.S. is playing the same role to the world that the British royal family plays in the U.K. - loved and hated at the same time, followed and criticized at the same time.The election usually leads off the news. Exciting bits like tornados usually show up later.

My leading theory is just that because Germany depends on the U.S. for most of its drama and comedy programs, as well as movies, it watches what happens in America to make sure conditions don't lead to another writers' strike.


Or perhaps I'm just full of §)(/$§)(")%/=&="....